The Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations over harmful electronic waste exports that pose safety hazard risks need stronger enforcement, the US Government Accountability Office noted in a recent report.
According to GAO, although some of the electronics exported are handled responsibly in countries with effective regulatory controls, most of them end up in countries where disposal practices pose a health threat to workers and are dangerous for the environment.
The Asian countries pose the most concern for authorities, considering the unsafe methods used by these countries to dispose of e-waste, such as open-air incineration or acid baths to extract metals such as copper and gold.
However, e-waste exports in Asian countries continue to thrive for many reasons, including EPA’s lack of enforcement. GAO warned that items with cathode-ray tubes (CRT) are harmful due to the toxin they contain, however, the CRT rule continues to be broken, and exporters are willing to engage in such violations of the CRT rule.
“Finally, EPA has done little to ascertain the extent of noncompliance, and EPA officials said they have neither plans nor a timetable to develop an enforcement program,” GOA concluded, demanding EPA to take steps to ensure that potentially harmful electronic devices are exported in a manner that poses no threats to workers’ health or the environment.
Therefore, GAO suggested EPA to develop a systematic plan to enforce the CRT rule, enhance US control over export of used electronics, work closely with Customs and Border protection and with the international Trade Commission and update Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations to reflect US obligations under OECD decisions.
According to GAO, although some of the electronics exported are handled responsibly in countries with effective regulatory controls, most of them end up in countries where disposal practices pose a health threat to workers and are dangerous for the environment.
The Asian countries pose the most concern for authorities, considering the unsafe methods used by these countries to dispose of e-waste, such as open-air incineration or acid baths to extract metals such as copper and gold.
However, e-waste exports in Asian countries continue to thrive for many reasons, including EPA’s lack of enforcement. GAO warned that items with cathode-ray tubes (CRT) are harmful due to the toxin they contain, however, the CRT rule continues to be broken, and exporters are willing to engage in such violations of the CRT rule.
“Finally, EPA has done little to ascertain the extent of noncompliance, and EPA officials said they have neither plans nor a timetable to develop an enforcement program,” GOA concluded, demanding EPA to take steps to ensure that potentially harmful electronic devices are exported in a manner that poses no threats to workers’ health or the environment.
Therefore, GAO suggested EPA to develop a systematic plan to enforce the CRT rule, enhance US control over export of used electronics, work closely with Customs and Border protection and with the international Trade Commission and update Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations to reflect US obligations under OECD decisions.
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